Graduate FPGA Developer – 2025 or 2026 (Feb 2026)

At Optiver, FPGAs play a critical role in executing successful trades. With no external clients, we operate in a fast feedback, quick release environment. 

As a Graduate FPGA Developer at Optiver, you’ll work alongside experienced hardware engineers to ensure we have the fastest and most reliable trading systems in the industry. You’ll constantly be innovating with new technology in the hardware space, ensuring our latency is optimised to nanoseconds.

If you own superior problem-solving and are excited to work with the fastest devices in the industry, you are the ideal candidate for this role. Join us and be a part of a dynamic team where you can make a meaningful impact.

What you’ll do

Your onboarding and training

Kickstart your training in the Optiver Tech Academy, our global training program in Amsterdam. As part of the comprehensive training program, you’ll master the principles, systems and technologies used to build Optiver’s industry-leading trading systems, as well as discover how we work as a collective to build our world-class solutions. This opportunity will not only broaden your global network and equip you with cross regional knowledge, it will also empower you with the skills needed to excel in your career at Optiver.

Your responsibilities

You’ll work in a close-knit team to design and develop highly accurate and efficient systems that respond to the financial markets in real time. You’ll delve into advanced engineering concepts and lead innovative projects that make a real difference. In just a few weeks, you’ll develop latency-critical applications that contribute towards our trading success.

In addition, you’ll:

• Accelerate network infrastructure and trading systems using the latest devices, tools and techniques.
• Develop rigorous test benches using a combination of VHDL and System Verilog.
• Explore new mechanisms for faster data communication/processing to accelerate network infrastructure and trading systems

Aside from technical skills, our dedicated education team will also work with you on your development, including:  

• Workshops on a variety of tech-based topics, along with soft skills to support your holistic growth as a developer.
• A dedicated mentor who will guide you through our development process and how our trading systems work.
• Trader training to get you up to speed on our business. This helps you understand the fundamentals of trading, enabling you to make an impact from the early stages of your Optiver career.

Read Vicky’s story to discover the exciting projects that you could work on in the FPGA team.

What you’ll get

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, where you’ll be surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem solvers. Driven by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, working collectively to tackle the most complex problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• A highly competitive remuneration package.
• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals.
• Training, mentorship and personal development opportunities.
• Gym membership, plus weekly in-house chair massages.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and an in-house barista.
• Regular social events, including an annual company trip.

Who you are

• Final year university student or recent graduate. If you are a pre-penultimate university student, discover our 2025 FutureFocus program and apply today.
• An Australian or New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or able to provide evidence of full working rights.
• Studying an Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or similarly technical degree.
• Deeply passionate about technology, particularly FPGA development, and have a range of out-of-classroom projects or activities to prove it.
• Knowledgeable about HDL languages: VHDL and/or Verilog as well as some experience with Python and/or C++.
• Understand network protocols: Ethernet, IP, TCP/UDP.
• Familiar with FPGA logic elements, transceivers, memory and other on-chip resources
• Have some experience developing algorithms in software.
• Excited to create high-performance, low-latency designs that critically impact trading success.
• Keen to work alongside the best developers and traders in the industry, with the humility to continually upskill and improve yourself.

Who we are

At Optiver, our mission is to improve the market by injecting liquidity, providing accurate pricing, increasing transparency, and stabilising the market no matter the conditions. With a focus on continuous improvement, we prioritise safeguarding the health and efficiency of the markets for all participants. As one of the largest market making institutions, we are a respected partner on 100+ exchanges across the globe.

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion, and it is hardwired through every stage of our hiring process. We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities.

Questions? Check out our Optiver Sydney Campus recruiting FAQs or get in touch with the team at careers@optiver.com.au.

We accept one application per role per year. If you have previously applied to this position during this season and have been unsuccessful, you can re-apply when the next recruitment season begins in 2026.